Manchester City midfielder Rodwell desperate to maintain fitness

The 21-year-old has revealed the gruelling training regime he has undergone in a bid to get to the bottom of a long-term hamstring injury after making his first-team return

Manchester City's Jack Rodwell has spoken of his fight to maintain his fitness after suffering an injury-hit start to his career with the Premier League champions.

The midfielder, who joined from Everton in the summer, has made just two starts for Mancini's side, however, after playing 30 minutes of their FA Cup win over Leeds at the weekend, the 21-year-old is hoping he can now fight for regular first-team appearances.

He told The Daily Mirror: "My main aim now is to stay fit. That's been my main problem for the last year or so, an inability to stay fit and shrug off little injuries.

"That's held me back, and I think if I can stay fit, the games will come."

Rodwell believes the succession of muscular injuries he suffered may have been down to his developing body and revealed the astonishing extent he has gone to in order to get back to full fitness.

He added: "The physios have highlighted that and done a really good job. I've stuck to a six or seven-week programme where I haven't had a day off.

"I've hammered the work, done a lot of hamstring work and luckily, touch wood, it's worked. I intend to keep that up for the rest of my career and hopefully I'll stay fit and strong.

"I come in early every day, have a load of treatment and then for half an hour before training I work on my own.

"Then after training, if necessary, I stay for some more strength work, so all in all I probably do an extra hour-and-a-half.

"One day it will be hamstring, another the back, or core fitness, to keep everything strong. I do yoga as well, two or three times a week, depending on how my body is feeling. Everything is helping."